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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. scale — size or range
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — part of the head
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. scale — in music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kid — child
  15. root — of a word
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. root — of a plant
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. face — to confront
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com